Driving mechanism for looms



1. H. STAIRS. DRIV'I-ING MECHANISM FOR LQDMS.

APPLICATION FlLED MAY 6. i920.-

Patented Apr. 26,1921.

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DRIVING MECHANISM FOR Looms,

' APPLICATIQN FILID MAY 6, 19.20.

V Patented Apr. 26,1921.

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I. H. STAIRS.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR LOONIS.

APPLICATION FILE-D MAY 6. 1920.

Patented Apr, 26,1921.

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JAMES H. STAIRS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

ASSIGNOR TO HOME-CREST PENNSYLVANIA.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Application filed May 6, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMEs H. STAIRs, citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Looms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention has for its primary object the simplification of means and reduction of required driving power to operate the cam shaft of the 100111 as well as the crank shaft of the loom directly from the mainshaft which is actuated by the power 01' belt-driven shaft and as incidental thereto the production of greater regularity of action of the cam shaft, as also control of the speed thereof independently of the speed of the driven shaft of the loom; together with other structural novel features and advan* tages flowing therefrom, as hereinafter stated.

To these ends my invention consists in the combination with known means comprising gearing usually employedfor communi'cating motion from the power or belt driven shaft of the loom to the main or loom driving shaft, and with a lay-operating crank shaft preferably arranged in parallelism with the main shaft, including gearing communicating power directly from th latter to said crank shaft, of a helical or worm gear fast on the crankshaft adapted to register with peripheral worm gearing on a wheel mounted fast on the usual cam-carrying shaft, whereby the cam shaft which carries the cams operating the harness levers, is driven directly by and in unison with the lay-operating crank shaft, and the latter driven directly by the main shaft, each of the two last named shafts carrying connecting and directly coacting actuating gearing; also in the combination therewith of a loom frame having a vertically-disposed member adapted to operate as a bearing for the free end of said crank-shaft, with end thrust therefor, said member operating also, as usual, to support a series of pivotally mounted harness levers; the essential, characteristic and novel features of the said combination and ar- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921. Serial No. 379,208.

rangement of elements being as hereinafter recited in the appended claims.

t 1n the drawings illustrating my inven- Figure 1 is a plan View illustrating the characteristic novel features of my improvementin their relation to other known parts of this class of loom; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof and Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now to said. drawings:

The power or driving shaft of the loom is indicated in end elevation at 5 in Fig. 2 and in plan view in Fig. 1. It is shown operated by belt-driven pulleys 19. Mounted on said shaft 5 is a pinion gear 4i which meshes with teeth 7 on the side of a gear wheel 3 carried on the end of a main shaft 2 which has its bearing in the upright member 1 ofthe loom frame 1. Gther teeth 7 are provided on the peripheral surface of the gear wheel 3, these last named teeth meshing with teeth 7 on the periphery of a gear wheel 8 which is carried on a layoperating crank shaft 9 having its bearings at two points in the frame, one in the mem ber 1 and the other in an oppositely disposed member 1, being slightly movable endwise in each, the free end of the shaft 9 being governed in that respect by an end thrust 1 secured on the member 1 of the loom frame. The other end of the shaft 9 is formed with a crank device 9 which carries means indicated at 9 to operate the lay of the loom. The driving mechanism, so far as thus described, except the extension of the crank shaft 9 and its bearing in the member l of the loom frame, is very old in the art, and has no function except to actuate the main or driven shaft 2-, and the lay-actuating crank shaft 9 as such, through the power or belt-driven shaft 5 however, in my device, I utilize this lay actuating shaft 9 to directly operate the cam shaft, and in unison therewith by the novel means constructed and arranged as hereinafter described. Furthermore the loom is provided with the usual set of cams 10 to operate the harness levers 17 which are pivotally supported at 18; these cams, together with a driving wheel 12, ar mounted fast on a cam shaft 6, and are as usual in the well known prior art, except that in my invention the periphery of the wheel 12 is provided with worm teeth which are cut to mesh with a helical or worm gear 15 the function of which is hereinafter described. Instead of attempting to drive the cam shaft directly by the power or belt-driven shaft 5 through the interposition of an additional shaft carrying a train of gearing between said power shaft 5 and the usual gear wheel 12 on the cam shaft, or through other driven parts of the loom, both of which have objectionable results, I have discovered that, by the means hereinafter described, it may be driven with greater regularity, directly by the main or driven shaft and its adjunctive crank shaft gearing, by the provision and interposition of the following mechanism. Means to drive the cam shaft 6 through the worm wheel 12, and through the gear on the main or driven shaft 2 and coacting gear wheel 8 on the crank shaft 9, is effected by the novel means which characterize the invention, and which consist first in extending the crank shaft 9 to a hearing within the upright member 1 of the loom frame and providing it, intermediate thereof, with a helical or worm gear 15 meshing with the teeth on the periphery of the worm wheel 12 which is fast on the cam shaft 6; thus the latter is driven with great regularity by operative coaction of the worm wheel thereon with the worm or helical gear on the crank shaft which derives its rotative motion directly through the connecting actuating gearing between it and the main or driven shaft.

Although, of course, rotative power to actuate all the several operative parts of the loom is derived, initially, from the usual belt-driven or power shaft, it is well known that much of this power is lost or rendered ineffective by the usual arrangements, in such machines, of the several actuated elements relatively to each other, and particularly by the character and relative arrangement of connecting actuating gearing between such operative elements. My invented improvement resides in actuating the cam shaft carrying the cams which operate the harness levers, by or through the crank shaft which operates the lay, and in its best exemplification is predicated on arranging the crank shaft in parallelism with the main shaft, and hence arranging the cam shaft in transverse relation thereto, the power shaft directly driving the main shaft only, and the crank shaft being driven directly by an independent gear wheel carried on the main shaft and coacting with an independent gear wheel mounted on the crank shaft. The result of this arrangement of the actuating elements enabling me to utilize the direct rotative force of the crank shaft to operate the cam shaft, with the production of the beneficial results hereinabove stated.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination in a loom comprising a power shaft and a series of harness lever operating cams, a driven main shaft, connecting actuating gearing between said shafts, a lay operating shaft carrying a worm gear, connecting actuating gearing between said last mentioned shaft and said driven main shaft, a shaft on which said cams are fixedly mounted, and a worm wheel on said cam shaft meshing with said worm gear to directly operate said cam shaft.

2. The combination in a loom comprising a main shaft and a lay-operating shaft in parallelism therewith, a driving gear on the main shaft, a driving gear co-acting therewith, mounted on the lay-operating shaft, a worm on said last mentionedshaft, a cam shaft, including a series of harness lever operating cams, a worm wheel on said cam shaft adapted to be engaged by said worm on the lay-operating shaft, and a power shaft in parallelism with the cam shaft, including bevel gearing thereon and coacting connecting gearing on the main shaft operative to directly drive the main shaft.

3. The combination in a loom comprising a power shaft, a main shaft driven thereby, a cam shaft, including a series of harness lever-operating cams and a worm wheel, fast on said cam shaft, a lay-operating crank shaft, a wormthereon engaging said worm wheel on the cam shaft, said crank shaft be ing arranged to rotate in parallelism with said main shaft, an independent driving gear on the main shaft, gearing on the layoperating shaft directly co-acting therewith, and connecting actuating gearing between the main shaft and power shaft.

4. The combination in a loom comprising a lay-operating shaft having its hearings in opposite members of the loom frame, an adjustable end thrust therefor, a worm on said shaft, a transversely-disposed cam shaft including thereon a series of harness lever operating cams, a worm wheel on said cam shaft engaging said worm on the lay-operating shaft, driving gear on said lay-operating shaft, a main shaft in parallelism with said last mentioned shaft including gearing thereon engaging said driving gear on the lay-operating shaft, a power shaft and connecting actuating gearing between it and said main shaft.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afixed my signature this 4th day of May,

7 JAMES H. STAIRS. Witnesses:

W. A. HAMILTON, I. M. Turns. 

